Fine Gael’s Green Week: spin or substance?

Last weekend saw the kick-off of Heritage Week, a national celebration to promote our built, cultural and natural heritage.

Another celebration of Ireland’s rich natural heritage popped up on social media this morning, although from a more surprising source – Fine Gael.

Not renowned as eco-crusaders, the Tánaiste Simon Coveney TD and several of his party colleagues appeared on social media today to tell us of their party’s work to protect the environment and guard against a changing climate.

But everyone deserves a chance, right? So, has the ruling party turned over a new leaf or is this campaign more greenwash than Green Week?

Below, we examine some of the key objectives and achievements outlined by Mr Coveney and his party pals in their social media videos and look at other policy objectives overshadowing the green credentials the Government has bestowed upon itself.

Moneypoint Power Station Photo: Tiger

‘From September, Ireland will be the first EU state to introduce a ban on smoky coal’

Peat subsidies are set to be phased out next year, yet the Government still plans to support all three large peat-fired stations for co-firing with biomass. This is despite the recommendations of the Climate Change Advisory Council that Government resources should not support measures that lead to increases in emissions.

The expert body concluded that the biomass subsidy for peat power plants is an “environmentally harmful” subsidy that is responsible for higher emissions levels at a “direct cost to the nation.”

Bigger threats to our seas are overfishing, plastic pollution from the likes of fishing nets and drinks containers, and oil and gas exploration.

Yet, the Minister of State for Natural Resources’ Seán Kyne TD recently outlined state support for an increase in oil and gas drilling in Irish waters to deliver energy security and to act as a “very significant economic driver”.

The Bill calls for Ireland to meet its European and International obligations and protect 50 per cent our coasts and seas through marine protection. Currently, just over two per cent of Irish waters are protected, the second lowest percentage in Europe.

It will report its recommendations by January 2019 and based on swift developments following the deliberations of the Committee on the Eighth Amendment, we can be positive that some good will come here.

According to the EPA, already high agri-emissions are set to increase by four to five per cent by 2020, largely due to the ramping up of the dairy herd under the Government’s Food Wise 2025 targets.

In addition, the advice of the State’s own expert climate advisory body has been continually ignored during its first two years in service. Just last month, the Council’s chair, Professor John FitzGerald described Ireland as being in “an even worse position” than reported in 2017.

If the State is not listening to its own expert advisory body, there is no reason to believe that the establishment of the new committee will ensure major inroads on future policy decisions and turn us from laggard to leader overnight.

Photo: Jonathan Petersson

‘€1 in every €5 spent under National Development Plan will go towards tackling climate change’

According to the Government, a fair chunk of its €116 billion budget for the ten-year Plan will be put aside for environmental and climate issues.

Yet, when you look at the overall goals of the plan, it appears to being setting us on a trajectory for a business as usual approach.

Under the plan there are proposals to spend billions on motorways and little on public and active transport, with an overwhelming focus of investment outside Dublin on three significant road projects – the Cork to Limerick Motorway; the Galway Ring Road; and extra M7 lanes from Naas to Newbridge.

There are also no public transport investment proposals of any significance outside Dublin in the plan, with bus investment measures proposed for counties Cork and Galway only.

Decades of bad planning have left a legacy of car-based dispersed sprawl, with climate, air pollution, and other adverse environmental impacts, and it doesn’t look like this will change under the Plan.

In addition, 320 million is set aside under the Plan for the building of an additional Dublin Airport runway which does not address the increased impact of aviation emissions.

About the Author

Niall Sargent

Niall is the Editor of The Green News. He is a multimedia journalist, with an MA in Investigative Journalism from City University, London